


once upon a time... at the apple store

by moonsfics



Category: Bangtan, bts, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff, little angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:41:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29145369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonsfics/pseuds/moonsfics
Summary: another drabble request from tumblr: soulmates au, meet messy, and “Alexa, play wonderwall” with Jungkook
Relationships: Jeon Jungkook & Reader, Jeon Jungkook/Original Character(s), Jeon Jungkook/Reader, Jeon Jungkook/You
Kudos: 13





	once upon a time... at the apple store

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Happy New Year! Hope you are staying safe. Here is another drabble I forgot to post from last September. It's technically Jungkook x OC but since it's written in first person, you can self-insert if you're into that--I know this fandom tends to read self-insert, but how many of us actually insert themselves? Idk I tend to create a character when I read self-inserts, what do you all do?
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this, and I hope I can get back into writing this year....

“Have you done your piece for Hernandez?” Jocelyn asks as she places her shopping bags on the empty seat beside her. She digs into the small front pocket of her bag and takes out a small plastic container full of hair pins.

“I can’t, remember. I have zero space on my stupid phone—not even for one lousy picture—and I haven’t gone to the store to get the iPad.”

“Haven’t you been trying to buy that for like a month?” Taehyung’s voice surprises me as he walks up to the table, a tray on his hands full with three plates of food.

I give him a shrug, before moving things aside on the table to allow space for the food still to come, and the drinks that Namjoon is getting. “I haven’t had time to go to the Apple store. With extra shifts at the cafe, a short story, first two chapters of a novel, and a couple poems to write, I haven’t had the time. Today is the first day I’ve had completely free in a while, and quite frankly, I did not want to spend it trying to figure out if I can write a decent poem.”

I look around for Namjoon and Priscila as Taehyung passes a plate filled with Cantonese food to Jocelyn who is still pinning her curls back, then busies himself with another one of the plates.

“Wha Pri-Pri gettin ya?” Taehyung asks, mouth full of rice.

“I wasn’t that hungry, so I just asked for a veggie roll.” Finally, I spot them walking together towards the table from one edge of the food court. “Kind of regretting it now.”

The mall is surprisingly bearable for a Sunday afternoon, but I’m not complaining. After working all week at a university cafe, the last thing I want to see is a crowd. And coffee.

By the time Namjoon and Priscila have reached the table, I’m reaching for the large horchata on Namjoon’s tray. Sweet and refreshing. Nothing like a mall’s food court liter of horchata to make one forget about espressos and lattes.

Priscila removes the bags from the chair beside Jocelyn and takes a seat—after moving it closer to her girlfriend. “I got you two veggies rolls because I know how you are.” She passes me the two small containers and chopsticks and I just about tackle her.

“Gosh, I could kiss you right now.”

Jocelyn gives me a look, “Unless you have another soulmate mark you haven’t told us about, I will strongly discourage you from doing that.”

Taehyung snorts. I merely make a kissy face at her and she rolls her eyes.

“Speaking of soulmate marks, did you and Yoongi make it to the NSTO clinic?”

Namjoon nods, but doesn’t speak until he’s taken another bite from his Cantonese food. “They said the burning will dissipate in a while, but that it’s pretty normal when one soulmate has spent an entire 5 months abroad.”

“Fuck man, that must suck for long distance soulmates,” Taehyung adds.

“Well,” I take another sip of the godly Mexican drink, “if your tattoo isn’t burning, that means your soulmate isn’t far then, right?”

“Hmmm, I don’t think it works that way,” Namjoon surprised us by saying. “Yoongi says this must only happen after soulmates have already met. I was reading up about soulmate tattoos from this short non-fiction book called ‘The Magic of Tattoos’ by one of the scientist that works at NSTO—he is one of the people working on the investigation—anyways not what’s important—but the point of it all is that soulmate tattoos are where the connection is. It has nothing to do with blood.”

Namjoon has always had a fascination with the soulmate phenomenon. His great-great grandparents were one of the first people to partake in the trial, and ever since then his entire family has been following the development of the theory and system.

“But it’s literally a mutation,” Jocelyn argues, “how is not related to like… DNA and shit.”

Namjon sighs, but everyone watches intently as he pushes his glasses up his nose and focuses on something behind Taehyung. He does that when he’s searching through his thoughts, trying to find the best way to explain them.

“It is, but it’s not. The connection is tethered to you with the tattoo. After they insert the chip, it creates the mark on your skin, and it’s through there that… well… think of it as the fictional red string of fate. The string is connected to you through the tattoo. If your soulmate, after you have met and connected the string to each other, leaves; it’s like the distance between you tugs at that string and causes it to sting.”

“Hu…” Taehyung’s head tilts, “so for all we know, Mel’s and I’s soulmate could be anywhere in the world right now then?”

“Probably,” Namjoon says flatly, then gets back to his food.

“Well, that’s fucking depressing.”

Taehyung turns to give me a menacing smirk, then he pulls out his phone and presses the home button. “I can end the suffering for you now, if you want.”

I toss a dirty napkin at him. “Stop it!”

It will never get old to my friends how completely idiotic my soulmate mark is, and how easy it is to mock.

“Leave her alone, Tae,” Namjoon warns.

“But it’s funny!”

“You ass.”

“I think you peaked after having Jimin say it to her.” Priscila does her best to suppress the short laugh at the memory, but when I give her a glare she laughs harder.

“That was not funny!”

Jocelyn is laughing now, so I throw some napkins at them. “You should’ve seen your face!”

“It scared me!”

“Jimin isn’t scary,” Namjoon says, and to my surprise he dares have an amusing smile. I slap his arm. “Ouch!”

“It wasn’t that he scared me, the guy had just been making out with that one friend of yours Taehyung, how did you expect me to react! Oh great, found my soulmate and he’s gay. If my soulmate is gay, she needs to be a girl cause at least I’d have a romantic future there!”

Taehyung shrugs, smugly pushing his tongue against his cheek as he sits back. If he wasn’t so tall, I’d tackle him and pinch him. “It was hilarious.”

“Jerk,” I mutter before stuffing a veggie roll into my mouth.

He sits forward to pinch my cheek and pout. “I wove you!”

“I hate you.”

“Oh, speaking of my friend! He actually works at the Apple store. I could probably get Jungkook to give me a discount.”

My interest perks. Suddenly, Taehyung isn’t so bad. “Can you do that for me?”

He smiles that boxy smile and sweeps his silver hair back. If the little shit wasn’t so handsome…

“I’ll do anything for you, babe.” He winks and I roll my eyes. “Fine, I’ll do anything for you to forgive me for the whole Jimin thing.”

“Okay, I’ll forgive you if you can get me a discount. Maybe I can buy the apple pen now.”

The rest of lunch is spent in excited conversations about school, friends, and Taehyung’s ability to make a fool of himself on every single date he goes on.

If Taehyung was my soulmate it wouldn’t be so bad. It’s not like the conversation has never come up. Nights spent under the blue light of the television, a bad horror movie playing as I find myself in those rare moments when Taehyung feels comfortable enough to have a deep conversation. His soulmate tattoo is also vague; a simple “under the stars” appeared on his skin right along the left side of his neck when he was thirteen and had his chip inserted. The thought had come to the two of us—we could somehow make those tattoos work, if the words were to be said in natural context, not forced.

However, when I actually kissed him—although nice—just wasn’t it. He didn’t feel anything deeper than just wanting to kiss again. We had a period of time when we would just kiss, to see if anything would change. Tried going on a date. Yes, everything was nice, and Taehyung is surprisingly sweet as a boyfriend, it just wasn’t there.

He seemed disappointed more than I did—it’s been years since I last hoped to meet my soulmate soon—but we both know that at this point we are tired of fooling around with non-soulmates and will just wait for the real thing. The last thing either of us need is to fall for each other only to later meet our soulmates and make it much more complicated.

After plates (and liters of drinks) are gone, everyone heads to the restrooms and decides to part ways for a while before meeting again at one of the shops everyone wants to go to.

“I’ll probably get there before you all, I’m just gonna get new frames,” Namjoon calls as he walks in the opposite direction.

“We’re gonna go to the used book store so we might take a while. Go in without us!” Priscila says, then she takes Jocelyn’s hand and they walk away giving each other sweet smiles.

“They’re so annoying,” Taehyung whispers in a whiny tone, making me laugh.

“Try going to the movie theater with them and Namjoon and Yoongi. I wanted to die.”

“Dude,” he pushes my shoulder slightly as he laughs, “you never do that! They have no respect for the singles!”

I take his arm and hook my own with it, “Unlike you, I would rather not have a single and bitter reputation.”

“That’s true, you’re already set with the bitter part.”

I slap his arm but he only laughs. I look up at him and stick my tongue out, but he only smiles that familiar warm smile, then bends his head down to kiss my forehead.

With the rest of our friends we may spend the time bickering, but alone, I would have to admit that Taehyung is my best friend.

“Have told your friend we’re coming?”

“Yeah, I just told him we’re walking over.”

“What was his name again? I actually don’t think he even introduced himself to me… too busy sticking his tongue down Jimin’s throat.”

Taehyung laughs, “Jungkook. He’s my neighbor actually. We practically grew up together, so be nice. He’s a pretty sweet guy.”

“Yeah yeah, I’ll play nice.”

Walking into an Apple store is like stepping into a weird spaceship with a few regular people, and gadget geeks and hipsters that somehow think Apple products are hipster. In my opinion, if you really are a hipster, you should be walking around with a Nokia brick phone, or one of those flip phones with the dangling charms. Not that newest version of the iPhone that you use to take pictures during your vegan Asian-Italian fusion food truck explorations.

I can just hear Namjoon say “I don’t think you understand hipsters, but go off.”

After I shake the judgemental thoughts out of my head, I gesture to Taehyung that I’ll be looking at the iPads while he busies himself with looking at the accessories. For someone who exclusively uses android, he sure is attracted by Apple products.

My research on iPads was done months ago, when I first decided to buy one instead of a new laptop, so I don’t really need to decide between one now, but it’s still nice to look at the colors in person before buying one.

When I reach the table, I notice there’s a few iPad models and colors missing. There’s not a lot of customers, probably about twelve people walking around the store. For it being a small mall, I realize the store is strangely too big. There’s a few workers walking around in their blue uniform shirts. I figure I should find someone and just get the iPad, as the model I want doesn’t have any displays.

Just then, I watch as a guy heads in my direction, quite a few tablets in his arms.

He must be bringing them over to display, so I’ll use the opportunity to ask him.

Or maybe I should just be looking for Taehyung’s friend…

Then I realize that he is Taehyung’s friend.

He looks so different. At the party he’d been wearing a modern hanbok outfit, and his hair wasn’t as long. I watch as he shakes the black locks out of his face and realize how handsome he actually is. It’s not like I’d gotten to see much of his face before.

He wears a black long sleeve under his uniform. It covers most of the tattoos on his right arm, but he now seems to have tattoos on his right hand too. Or maybe he had them, I just didn’t notice.

He carries the iPads quite comfortably in his hands as he walks over, a little perk to his step.

I remember his name is Jungkook right before he reaches the table, but luckily he’s wearing a name tag so I wouldn’t have to wonder for long if I hadn’t.

“Hi, need any help?”

“Oh uh, yes, actually. I plan on getting an iPad Pro, the 11 inch, but I wanted to see the colors in person.”

Jungkook smiles and nods as he puts the iPads down on the table. He turns to look at me, his dark doe-like eyes roam my face for a beat.

“Sorry,” he says with a chuckle, “you look familiar.”

“Oh yeah, sorry, I’m Taehyung’s friend,” I say, then extend my hand.

His eyes widen in realization, and just as he parts his lips to say something as he extends his own hand, one of the iPads slips from the tower he’s created on the table.

Somehow, my movements are swift, and I’m able to catch the device right before it lands on the polished floor to shatter.

“Holy shit!”

When I look up, Jungkook’s eyes are wide and his hands cover his ears.

“It’s cool, I caught it,” I say, trying my best not to laugh at the absolute fear in his eyes.

When I hand the iPad to him he smiles, showing his teeth—and oh god, the tiniest dimples. I didn’t think he could look any more attractive.

“Thank you so much, you don’t understand, I’ve been working here three months and I’ve cracked four screen protectors,” he sounds breathless, like the fact that he almost cracked another iPad was enough to knock the air out of him, “thank you so much, you’re like my savior. I’ll definitely give you a discount!”

I can’t help but laugh, and try my best to ignore the blood that rushes to my cheeks as he keeps smiling at me like that. Not only is his smile blindingly adorable, but his eyes sparkle even though there is no direct light above us. Who is this guy?

“Thanks, but don’t worry. I did that purely out of selfish reasons, you know? You lose your job and I don’t get a discount.”

To my surprise, and the skip my stupid heart does, he giggles. And it’s endearing as shit.

Somehow, his smile broadens, it makes crinkles appear by his eyes. I completely understand why Jimin was making out with him.

“Still, if it wasn’t for you, I’d be toast,” he laughs. He pulls the iPad close to his face with that smile still on,eyes all shiny, “God, Alexa, play Wonderwall.”

The way my stomach drops is enough to have slipped that iPad off my hands had I still been carrying it. My insides churn uncomfortably as I look at him, that amusement still on his face. It makes me want to throw up.

He notices the change in my expression and he frowns.

“W-what’s wrong? Oh shit, right, I meant Siri, I used to work at a store that used Alexa… wait, is it that it just wasn’t funny? Or maybe you don’t know the song, sorry I don’t know why I’m rambling,” he laughs awkwardly but I no longer find it endearing.

“That’s not funny.” My voice is hoarse and barely audible.

“I’m sorry—“

“I can’t believe Taehyung would do this again, what is wrong with him! My soulmate tattoo isn’t a joke!”

I can feel my ears burning and my insides fuming with anger as I turn on my heel and look for Taehyung.

I’ve had enough of his bullshit and games. It was funny the first few times, but now it’s just cruel.

“Kim Taehyung!” I don’t mean to shout, but the anger boiling just under my skin and the embarrassment is enough to make my voice emotionally higher.

He turns at the sound of my voice, shocked to hear me address him with so much anger. The bastard has the audacity to look confused.

“I can’t believe you would put Jungkook up to this too!” I’m practically hissing at his face now that I’ve reached where he stands. I hope I don’t drag anymore attention—the fact that I yelled has already made my cheeks burn from embarrassment. I just can’t let Taehyung get away with this again. “Jimin’s little act wasn’t enough of a joke to humiliate me, now you have Jungkook doing it too!”

His eyes are wide but he looks concerned somehow. He reaches for my arms but I step back.

“Mel, w-what are you talking about? I’m sorry about the Jimin thing, like I’ve said, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, but what do you mean Jungkook—“

“Stop playing coy with me Taehyung, this isn’t funny!”

My hands are starting to shake and my voice strains. I don’t want to get overwhelmed in public, but I’ve had enough. This isn’t fair, to trick me into thinking that… it’s just not funny.

“Taehyung, what’s going on?”

Jungkook’s soft voice coming from somewhere behind me causes the hairs at the back of my neck to stand. Still, I can’t bring myself to look at him out of anger and self-consciousness.

Taehyung looks between me and Jungkook. Then something clicks in his head and his eyes go wide once more. He reaches for my arm and I step back again, but when he tries once more with a pleading look on his face I let him touch me.

“Mel,” he says carefully, his dark brown eyes looking into mine, “I did not tell Jungkook to say anything to you.” He speaks carefully, as if every word matters and is important for me to digest carefully.

Oh my god.

“W-wait… really?”

Taehyung slowly nods.

“You didn’t tell him what my tattoo is?” I whisper.

To my surprise Taehyung is suddenly smiling. “Mel, I promise you, I didn’t.”

The gasp that leaves my lips is soft, but I still go to cover it.

I can’t get my hopes up though. This could easily be Jimin playing a game too…. but how would he know?

Slowly, I turn to find a very confused Jungkook looking at us.

His doe, sparkling eyes look at me quizzically.

“Tattoo?” His voice is quiet when he speaks. “As in… _that_ tattoo?”

I drop my hand from my mouth then turn to look at Taehyung. He’s grinning at me and I almost want to cry, or push him, or engulf him in a hug and beg him to tell me he’s not lying.

Jungkook’s eyes can’t seem to look away from me. He slowly pulls the sleeve of his right arm up. “Mel, is this your birthday?” His voice is soft and careful, like every word is spoken with a layer of fear.

I find it hard to look away from the way his eyes sparkle, when I finally do, my eyes fall upon the tattoos on his arm. By a skull hand are eight numbers, written just as birth dates are written. I can see the little scar where his chip was added, but it’s the number that matters.

“T-that’s my birthday…”

When I look up at Jungkook his eyes are wide again.

I feel the burning sensation on the back of my right shoulder, and by the sudden change in his expression I take he feels it on his arm.

“Holy fuck,” Taehyung whispers, but I’m unable to look away.

Although I’m entranced by his shining eyes, I can see the way he smiles. My skin begins to tingle as the burning sensation slowly dissolves into my skin, traveling all over my body until it touches my toes, and then it’s gone.

It’s like Namjoon described once to me. The sensation is strange and out of place, but when I look at him it makes sense. I don’t know him, I’ve only just met him, but one thing is clear—I am _meant_ to know him.

At some point Taehyung says he’s leaving to meet Namjoon, but I barely give him any attention.

“Um,” Jungkook finally speaks. He clears his throat and looks around. “I’ll be called soon, but c-can we talk after?” He looks down at his watch. “My shift ends in like forty minutes, do you think—“

“Yes!” I say, rather enthusiastically.

Jungkook ignores the blush he must see on my face and just smiles. “Okay, just wait a bit for me yeah.” His voice is gentle, and when he touches my arm it’s like the most satisfying burning sensation one can experience. Like his fingertips are meant to add that pressure to my skin.

“What’s another forty minutes,” I tease him, but give him the brightest smile I can muster despite the shock my body is still in.

He grins, nose scrunch and crinkles in the eyes, and I think my heart stopped for a second…

I take those forty minutes to catch up my friends on everything that Taehyung hasn’t already told them. Priscila offers to take the little shopping I’d done back to the apartment we share.

I had little time to think about what had happened during the last 40 minutes, that by the time I’m making my way back to the store I start to get nervous.

I’m just about to meet up with my soulmate and I have no idea what I’m going to say.

Jungkook is standing outside the store, the blue shirt off and placed on his shoulder. When he sees me, he smiles and waves.

“Hey!”

“Hi!” His smile is so bright it somehow makes me blush. “D-Do you want to go get your iPad before we—“

“Oh shit, right. I was going to buy one of those,” I smile sheepishly and scratch the back of my neck. “I’ll just get the silver one and we can go.”

“Alright.”

The shopping is quick, he makes a few jokes with his coworkers then I follow him out the store as he holds the bag for me.

“Want to go get a coffee?”

I scrunch my face in disgust, “I work at a café, I’d rather not.”

He chuckles, “That’s fine, then maybe we can just walk around for a bit?”

I nod, then follow him.

There seem to be more people inside the mall, more families walking around as the loud echoes of children laughing and screaming bounce off the tall ceiling.

“I’m sorry, I just don’t know what to say,” Jungkook says, breaking the comfortable silence with his soft voice.

I look up at him and smile, hoping that makes him feel a bit more sure of himself. “It’s fine. This is strange for me too. Let’s just start with the basics, yeah.”

It starts off as small talk. He tells me where he grew up, about his brother, how we attend the same university. He has one semester left—just like me—and hopes to continue into grad school. He’s studying cinematography. The fact that I’m studying creative writing got him surprisingly excited.

It’s so easy to talk to Jungkook once he gets going. Not only is he a good listener, but when he seems to be talking about something he likes or knows well, he gets very excited. His eyes shine brightly and he gesticulates with his hands animatedly.

Eventually we find an empty couch in one of the sitting areas by a corner of the shopping center. I gesture for us to sit.

“You felt it, right?” He asks.

I look up at him and nod. “There’s no doubt about it…”

Jungkook smiles, his tiny dimples showing. I can’t help but grin back. His smile is so contagious, and it causes a comforting reaction to explode from my chest.

“Can I ask you something, before we go further. Just so I know where this… could go?”

“Of course.”

“Are you dating Jimin?”

Jungkook’s cheek’s flush pink and I can’t help but giggle.

“You saw that, didn’t you?”

“Who didn’t.”

Luckily he laughs too.

“No, we’re not dating,” he confirms, amusement still in his voice. “Jimin actually met his soulmate last week.”

“Oh, I’m glad for him. Still mad about what he did though…”

“Yeah, that’s messed up.” He grins despite my explanation about what had happened with absolute annoyance.

I lean onto him to push him slightly but he only laughs.

We’re quiet for a while, occasionally looking at each other with smiles, that is until I remember something else.

“Jungkook? Do you think we could… it’s okay if you don’t want to. We can wait, but…”

“You want to kiss?”

I can’t imagine how much the embarrassment is showing on my face, but when I look up at him, he too is blushing. I nod.

“I’ve heard that’s how some people…”

I nod again.

We’re quiet again. His eyes look between mine and down to my lips.

He begins to lean closer so I close my eyes.

It feels like an eternity, so I meet him halfway.

When our lips touch, it’s different.

Somehow familiar to that sensation that spread from the tattoo, except it starts at where his soft lips gently touch mine. It doesn’t spread until our lips are moving again. Then I feel it everywhere. It’s like a magnet that I can’t help but lean into.

When the kiss is deepened, it’s inexplicable. The tattoo tingles this time and I wonder if that’s when the imaginary string connects. Or perhaps it was already connected, but the kiss strengthens it.

I can hear as Jungkook struggles to stop holding the shopping back before his hands take my face between them. He laughs into the kiss, the sound making my stomach flutter in the cheesiest way possible.

All those books and poems describing butterflies in the stomach almost got it right, because I do feel them, but they’re everywhere.

When the kissing stops, and we’re just two idiots in the middle of a mall grinning at each other, the tingling subsides.

“They say that eventually fades,” he says after a while, a smile still on his face however.

I nod. “I heard. My friend says it still doesn’t stop feeling… perfect.”

Somehow, Jungkook’s smile brightens. “I can imagine it never stops feeling like that.”

I reach down to tentatively take his tattooed hand in mine. When I place my fingers between his, they fit as perfectly as his lips do between mine.


End file.
